


Wild and Fluorescent

by WitchyLeaf



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Accidental Bonding, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Blood and Gore, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, First Kiss, Fist Fights, Fluff, Happy Ending, Kissing, M/M, Masturbation, Mutual Pining, Pining, Post-Canon, Violence, deviant nines, deviant rk900
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-28
Updated: 2020-06-28
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:42:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24966160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WitchyLeaf/pseuds/WitchyLeaf
Summary: Whilst on the hunt for a mysterious killer with a love of replacing human limbs with android ones, Gavin and his favourite toaster are made to work together in order to hunt down the killer.With deviancy on the horizon, RK900 finds itself feeling emotions for the first time. And by god, is Gavin Reed irritating.
Relationships: Upgraded Connor | RK900/Gavin Reed
Comments: 11
Kudos: 40





	Wild and Fluorescent

**Author's Note:**

> A spontaneous work in progress, dedicated to my dear Sleepyb0y as a little congratulations for completing her MA. I'm so proud of you, Eggi!

“ _Detective?_ ”

“ _Detective…?_ ’

“ _D e t e c t i v e?_ ”

A groan left Gavin’s lips, eyes half-closed, head pounding from the bottle of Jack that he decided to down the night before.

“Whaddya want, tin can?” He grumbled.

The RK900 unit openly stared at him, studying the man, not inclined to do the little head tilts and smiles that made its predecessor so oddly human. Gavin was thankful for it, though. He didn’t want his ‘partner’ to pretend to be human-- he, _it_ , wasn’t. It didn’t even try to imitate the other deviants, or normal androids, that would smile and blink a little too much or try an expression that would allow the humans to feel more comfortable around them.

RK900 was like the equivalent of a human Playstation or an ironing board. It stood with a perfectly straight back, squared shoulders; nothing about it _seemed_ human. Gavin would occasionally find himself forgetting that the android didn’t possess the desire to feel emotion-- or humour, for that matter-- and would crack a joke that fell on deaf ears. No laughter, no little dimples like humans would show if they smiled. RK900 did _not_ smile. Gavin would feel the silence, the awkward tension, and inwardly cringe, trying to return to driving or fiddling with something to pretend he hadn’t uttered a word.

“I don’t believe you have the ability to listen for more than a second, do you?” The android asked, causing Gavin to wrinkle his nose. He’d been caught in his thoughts, somewhere between thinking about what he wanted for lunch and how RK900 would react if he burped in his face. Somehow, he didn’t think the latter would earn him any friendship points-- not that he wanted to become friends with it.

“C’mon, plastic. I don’t have all day,” the detective groaned, rocking back in his chair, feet crossed at the ankles as he rested them on their shared desk. He littered the android’s once immaculate paperwork with mud that was caked to his boots. The android eyed it, a little twitch of its fake and creepy blue eyes and then returned its attention to the man before him.

“As I’ve been saying for the last two minutes, the lieutenant would like us to go and look at a case. I’ll provide you with the notes, I doubt you’ll listen if I explain.”

Gavin grinned, eyes scrunching up as he yanked the yellow post-it note from his partner and stuffed it into his pocket.

“Anything to keep you from talking, bean can.” He then rose to his feet, yanking on his battered brown leather jacket that hung on the back of his chair and thudded out of the office with the android in tow.

The brunette took his car, the android sitting uncomfortably straight in the grimy leather seat as its LED whirled and circled in an almost continuous yellow loop. Its shoes were muddled amongst an assortment of cheeseburger wrappers, condiment sachets, and empty cans of energy drinks; the once clean black leather of its shoes now sticky with what appeared to be mustard. Its LED flickered red.

The car jerked every so often as Gavin would look up from the post-it in his hand, quickly turning the wheel with the other as the vehicle veered off to the side and he promptly brought it back into the centre of the road. RK900 loathed the detective’s driving.

“Perhaps you shouldn’t read that and drive. In fact, around 25% of accidents occur when people are otherwise occupied when they should be keeping an-”

“Shut it, plastic. I’m reading,” Gavin barked, tired of the android’s complaints. That was another thing he hated, the constant complaining.

_Detective, you’re going too fast._

_Detective, you almost hit that mother and child._

_Detective, how did you ever get your license?_

He always silenced it with a single look, occasionally making the comment that ‘shitty androids don’t even take driving tests, so don’t lecture me,’ only for the android to respond with, ‘because our software makes it unnecessary for us to take tests. We are the perfect drivers, even more capable than humans.’ Gavin would stop the car and tell it to get out after that.

The man scanned the paper in his hand, pursing his lips as he looked over the words again and again.

 **Highland Park Ford Plant, Milwaukee Junction** . **Homeless man found dead at the scene, called in after a group of teenagers broke inside**.

“If it’s just a bum, why are we going?” Gavin asked, balling up the paper and throwing it out the window. RK900 narrowed its eyes as it watched the ball whizz off through the air, choosing not to comment on its partner’s littering. 

“Detective, you should know after your years in the force that you’re called in to look at a case when something needs to be investigated. I don’t know why I have to remind you every time.” 

The android’s words brought a foul taste to Gavin’s mouth and he grimaced, lifting a hand and flipping the robot the bird. 

Once at the factory, they stepped out into the cold and whistling wind. The human’s hair whipped about, messing up the already unruly strands as he ducked his head and rounded his shoulders to fight off the cold. By his side, RK900 walked with its back as straight as usual; completely unaffected by the cold. Even its synthetic hair seemed to barely move an inch and a part of Gavin wished he knew what product it used. It pressed on through the wind, the air whipping at its CyberLife-standard jacket as the pair passed through the holographic police banner and found their way inside.

Gavin stumbled over the remnants of old machinery and components that littered the floor, his partner gracefully treading with pre-calculated steps that didn’t allow it to falter once. They walked the length of the room, following the stream of harsh lamps that were placed on either side of the door at the far end. A choke caught in Gavin’s throat when they passed the doorway and his senses were assaulted by the foul air that had accumulated. The floor, covered in debris and rusted machinery like the entrance, seemed to be caked in a black-brown residue that RK900 bent down to check out. It stuck out a finger, swiped at the scum and gave it a brief lick. Gavin stood nearby as he watched, gagged and then left his partner behind to lick the evidence.

The victim sat at the back of the room, arms held up against the wall with large nails held under them. The arms were milky white, plastic, and Gavin then understood why he and the android were asked to investigate. He trudged closer, foot slipping on rubble and sending his ankle painfully to the side. A shuffle sounded, and then a strong arm wrapped around his waist to steady him. He could faintly hear the whir of RK900’s bio components as it held him upright.

“Are you alright, Detective?” It asked, lemon yellow ring spinning at its temple.

“Get off me, I’m fine!” Gavin hissed, wriggling out of the android’s grip and pushing it aside so he could stand on his own. His ankle burned in a way that he felt meant he’d be burdened with the pain for a long time to come. He tried to straighten it and forced himself to walk on it; though he noticeably wobbled and grit his teeth. The android watched him with a bored expression, sensors already scanning the ankle and showing him a 97.6% chance of a sprain. The aching detective pushed on, pretending nothing had happened as he put all of his weight on the pained bone to prevent any further comments from the android.

He crouched down, nose scrunching as he swallowed down the bile in his throat that rose at the rancid stench of the decomposing body. He stuck his foot out to the side, choosing to kneel on one leg and rest his burning ankle as he looked this way and that and eventually focused on the corpse’s temple. 

“Can I get some gloves?” He asked no one in particular. A nearby coroner, dressed up in a full protective suit and looking like a human condom, tossed a bagged pair of gloves to the detective. He tore the plastic wrapping open, letting it flop to the floor once he pulled out the blue nitrile gloves and yanked them on with a snap of the rubber. He edged closer, pulling the collar of his t-shirt over his nose as he leaned towards the corpse and prodded at its right temple. Nothing showed up, no sign of an LED and he then redirected his attention to the arms.

The corpse wore a tattered checkered shirt, sleeves rolled up to the elbows. Gavin tugged them down and watched as the sleeve flopped down, the white plastic arm not attached. He dared to peek, gingerly lifting the fabric again with his thumb and forefinger and stared at the exposed nerves and bone with a grimace. He gagged.

“The arms aren’t attached, he’s a human,” Gavin clarified as he felt RK900 loom silently at his side. The android looked at the other arm, pulling it away and lifting the sleeve as it scanned the dismembered human’s arm- or what was left of it. It stuck out a finger, tasted the dried blood it had collected and Gavin watched its temple glow with the motion of the LED.

“He’s been dead for several weeks,” it explained, leaning forward as it tried to collect further information. “No surgical tools were used, and the method of removal was rushed. I believe the person used a rusty tool, most likely a hack saw when the victim was still alive.”

“Jesus Christ,” Gavin breathed, feeling the muscles in his arms twitch as he felt a phantom pain as if his own arms were being sawn off at the elbow. He let the collar of his shirt drop from his face and he breathed through his mouth, though the scent of the decaying body had already seeped into the hair in his nostrils.

“Yes, Detective, I agree that the way his arms are held does look similar to depictions of Christ,” the android replied. Gavin rolled his eyes in response as he set to searching the body for any further clues.

“Not what I meant, jackass.” The android ignored him.

“I’m guessing he’s sitting because it was too difficult to pin him up on the wall… the body would have fallen down because the arms weren’t actually attached,” Gavin murmured, clearing his throat of the harsh taste that accumulated in his mouth.

“Yes, android components are created to be compatible with particular models. The connectors of the arms are too different to slot against the elbows and stay there.” It allowed the material of the shirt to fall as it leaned in to scan the victim’s body for any further clues. The legs were human, though methodically scarred as if he’d had surgery to fix his leg after a suspected break some years before.

“I’d say that with the way the arms were cut… I think this was our killer’s first time. Practised killers are more surgical, the arms wouldn’t have been sawn off so quickly,” the detective called over to the coroner, the man noted it down on the clipboard in his hand. Gavin found his eyes drawn to the corpse’s chest, noticing a small dip in the fabric of his shirt. He gave the shirt a poke and felt the fabric dip into the chest with little resistance as if there was a hole. 

Turning his head, he looked to RK900 with a frown as he gestured to the man’s chest. The android watched him poke and stiffened slightly as he realised that there was indeed a hole. Gavin methodically unbuttoned the man’s shirt and pulled back the fabric to reveal a fist-sized metal component where the man’s heart should have been, some ribs missing. Gavin edged his fingers into the chest cavity, a cringe forming on his face as he felt the muscle and viscera brush against his gloved fingers. He took hold of the component and yanked it out, hearing the dried organs make a sickening tearing sound like he was ripping apart an old sponge. 

Gavin held the black metal component, the centre made of glass and containing a bright blue liquid; though partially obscured by the blood that had dried on it.

“Is this what I think it is?” He asked, throwing RK900 a look of confusion. The android nodded.

“A thirium pump regulator- the heart of an android,” it replied. Gavin turned back to the device, turning it over in his hand and frowning when he noticed a shape within the contained blue blood.

“There’s something inside here,” he murmured. 

The reckless and impulsive mess of his mind wanted him to throw the mechanical heart at the floor, shatter the glass and pull out whatever was inside. RK900, sensing its partner’s reckless thoughts, swiftly plucked the device out of his hand and handed it to one of the forensics team to bag up for later analysis.

“Hey!” Gavin growled, watching the android take away the component and pass it over. It turned to him, eyes their usual cold and calculating stare.

"I can’t allow you to destroy evidence because of your impulsive actions,” the android said simply. They both knew that Hank and Fowler wouldn’t look too kindly to the man mishandling evidence in such a way. Gavin fought back the desire to reclaim the component and muttered under his breath instead. He could already hear Hank’s words of warning and complaints back at the office if he did break it.

“What’s the verdict, tin can?” Gavin asked, rising to his feet and half-standing on his bad ankle as he looked up at the android, “You think our killer is human or one of your kind?” The android frowned at his words, one of the few expressions that it seemed to possess, and looked back to the corpse.

“I don’t… know,” it said quietly, its LED flashing yellow as it watched two words pop up on its internal display. ****

 **_Software Instability_ **.

* * *

The thirium pump had Gavin and the rest of the DPD thrown, though he did receive a firm and uncharacteristic clap on the back from Hank for finding the pump _and_ not destroying it. Gavin was seen as a liability at crime scenes, for the most part, stomping around and dirtying evidence or touching things he shouldn’t and disrupting the DNA. The pump had been carefully opened by the forensics team, the blue blood drained to reveal a rolled up piece of paper with a single streaky and black inked word.

 **_Traitor_ ** _._

The general theory, heavily supported by Gavin, was that the victim had been sleeping around with an android and that the killer was aware of it. But to kill someone because they simply screwed around with a robot? It was a stretch to suggest the theory was true. 

“Imagine screwing around with an android,” Gavin laughed, lips pulling into a wry grin as he shook his head and tapped away at the keyboard of his terminal, “do they even have junk?” The question was unnecessary, Gavin was aware that several androids were equipped with functioning genitalia for human pleasure. He’d been to The Eden Club enough times… investigating cases, of course, to know that the Traci models and several other units were intended for human use.

“Now, Detective, anyone would think you were so fixated on whether we have genitals because you’re interested in spending the night with one,” RK900 stated with a smirk. It made Gavin shift uncomfortably to see his partner portraying human expressions. The android seemed more animated the days following the factory investigation, and Gavin did not like it one bit. Although the android now seemed capable of smiling, it only appeared to do more to mock Gavin. Teasing his messy hair or crumpled clothes, questioning whether the man was safe to walk near an open flame due to the smell of alcohol that clung to him. Gavin was reluctant to admit that his pride felt a little wounded to be so verbally attacked by a machine.

“Piss off, tin can. If I wanted to put a robot’s junk to good use, I certainly wouldn’t look at you,” Gavin said crustily, voice laced with venom. His words only made the android roll its eyes as it thumbed through some photographs of the crime scene. The android still didn’t quite understand why it was exhibiting more human expressions, confusion drifting through its thoughts.

 _Confusion_.

An emotion that was new to the RK900 unit.

It was never confused- had _never_ been confused. And yet it was so completely and utterly confused. The case was confusing, the scene of the crime was confusing, the corpse was confusing. It shot Gavin a brief look over the top of the photos that it held. _Gavin was confusing_.

The detective became more and more obsessed with the case, and the android wouldn’t be surprised if it one day entered the human’s apartment and found photographs pinned to every surface with different coloured yarn leading from clue to clue. The brunette did seem like a proud conspiracy theorist.

“I think I’ll go back to the factory tomorrow, see what I can dig up,” Gavin said quietly, eyes not looking up from his terminal. RK900 edged closer, pressing the photographs down on Gavin’s desk as it pressed a hand against the man’s chair and leaned in to scan the computer monitor. There was a big blank space in a section of the case file, the section intended for building up a profile of the killer. 

“The corpse was scraped clean when they tested for DNA, as was its clothes. I don’t think you’ll find anything, Detective.”

Gavin wrinkled his nose at the android, it was standing too close and too perfectly with its perfectly kept hair and freshly laundered clothes. Gavin could feel the heat coming off it, hear its components whirring with every unnecessary breath that it took. He went to move his chair to the side, attempting to wheel it across the floor to encourage the android to give him some space.

RK900 didn’t get the memo.

It moved its hand to Gavin’s shoulder, holding him firmly in place. Gavin grumbled and tried to peel off the android’s fingers, though it kept a firm grip and let go of its own accord as Gavin whispered under his breath and felt his face grow hot. He was all cross and red, causing the android to eventually let go with a small twitch of its lips as it tried not to laugh at him.

“I _have_ to get something, Nines. The case can’t move on otherwise,” Gavin explained with a sigh. The android raised a brow, its LED flickering yellow for a moment before it turned its usual bright cyan.

“ _Nines_?” It asked.

“Ah, fuck- just a slip of the tongue. Don’t think it’s a pet name or anything,” the human said quickly, his blush refusing to fade. The android noticed it, watched the way he ducked his head and hunched his shoulders and tried to hide away. 

“You should address me by my model name, Detective. I fear it may lead to confusion otherwise.”

“I’d rather not, _Nines_."

The android frowned, glared, narrowed its eyes, circling through a range of expressions like an in-game character designer where a player can select a series of looks to display in cutscenes. Gavin found it almost incredible to see the android behaving so differently.

“You get an upgrade or something, bean tin?” Gavin asked, giving the android a light kick in the ankle with his booted foot. The android swallowed, watching the familiar white outlines of humanoid figures telling it what steps to take next. It watched one figure, that was supposed to be the android itself, send a swift kick to the shin of the other figure, the detective. RK900 blinked slowly, fading out of the reconstruction as the detective stared up at it with pursed lips.

“They must have done something messed up to get you being so-”

“So _what_ , Detective?” The android asked, leaning down, all 6’2” of it as it eyed the human with narrowed eyes. Gavin shrunk under its gaze, stomach in a knot as he scanned the android’s eyes; its once cold and almost shark-like eyes now seeming softer, their intensity seeming to change in such a way that made Gavin uncomfortable with being looked at so closely.

“So shitty. Like the worst attempt at human expressions I’ve ever seen,” Gavin swiftly replied, standing up and jolting back when the android followed suit and stood to its full height. It towered above Gavin like a skyscraper and Gavin suddenly wished he’d eaten his Wheaties as a kid. 

“Heading home for the night. See ya tomorrow,” he gasped out, almost choking on the breath in his lungs as he darted around the android with his jacket firmly held in his hand. RK900 watched him hurry off, murmuring a quiet “Goodnight, Detective,” as Gavin fled the room and left the android to stand in the empty and half-lit office.

Its LED flickered from yellow to red so quickly that it flared orange for a moment.

* * *

_Knock, knock, knock_.

Gavin rolled over.

_Knock, knock, knock_.

Gavin grumbled.

**_Knock, knock, knock_ **.

Gavin let out a string of curses, though continued to ignore the sound as he pushed his pillows against his ears. His ringtone screamed out over the quiet of the room, making him twitch with irritation. Phone companies really did have the most irritating ringtones.

He snaked his hand out of the mountain of pillows and blankets, pulling his phone to him and yanking the charger out in the process as he blindly accepted the call and pressed the device to his ear.

“What?” He hissed, voice laced with exhaustion.

“I’d appreciate it if you could open your front door, Detective,” RK900 all but purred in his ear. The silken tone of his voice sent a flood of warmth straight to Gavin’s dick and he almost squeaked into the receiver as he ended the call and flung his phone somewhere across the sheets.

He pushed out of the warmth of his bed and whispered words of violence under his breath as he tugged on a pair of shorts and trudged out of his room bare-chested and marched to the front door. He could see the android’s shadow peeking under the door, making the man let out an exasperated sigh as he unlocked the door and edged it open.

The light from the hallway flooded in, all harsh and artificial white that had Gavin wincing and stumbling back as he felt dark spots dance across his vision in a taunting routine. He could faintly see the android’s spinning LED through the stream of lights and backed away from the door and let his partner enter. RK900 closed the door as it stepped inside and into the darkness, its bright blue LED waving in the shadows as both human and android stood across from one another.

“Detective, why don’t you have your lights on?” RK900 asked, lifting its head to look through the gloom.

“Why don’t I wha- why the fuck are you in my apartment? What time is it?”

“You let me in, Detective,” the android sarcastically replied. Gavin could swear the bastard was grinning as he stumbled in the dark and fumbled across the wall to find a light switch upon entering the living room.

The overhead light flickered to life and filled the room with a warm glow. RK900 scanned the room with a brief turn of its head, humming softly as Gavin rubbed his eyes and squinted at the android. It noticed Gavin's bare torso and swallowed: a tiny twitch of its throat.

"And I expected mountains of pizza boxes and half a dozen whiskey bottles,” it quipped, hiding its discomfort at seeing the man in a state of undress. Gavin fake laughed, a sarcastic sound, and refrained from shoving the towering android as he padded across the hardwood floor and plopped down on the black leather sofa.

“Why are you here, Nines?” Gavin asked again, watching as the android took a short lap around the room; it poked and prodded numerous items, searching the faces in photographs and watched the names and information of each individual pop up. It mentally swiped the details away as it turned to the man as he sat on the sofa, looking very cross and tired.

“I thought you’d want to investigate the factory again,” RK900 said simply. Gavin blinked, lifted his wrist and watched the screen of his watch light up. _4:18 AM_. The digits made Gavin feel even more cross and he grimaced up at the android, pointing a finger at it as it hovered close by.

“You came here at four in the fuckin’ morning to ask me to go and look for clues with you?” 

The android blinked in response.

“So, is that a yes?” RK900 asked.

* * *

Gavin had mentally promised himself that he’d _never_ spend time with the android- his android detective- outside of work, out of office hours. He didn’t want to bond, gain that odd sort of relationship that Connor had developed by hanging out with members of the DPD. It made him too human, and he knew that the deviance wasn’t all to blame. The longer Connor spent with people, the more human he- it- became. _Fuck_ , _I’m thinking of these fuckers as human_ , Gavin thought. He put it down to the cold and lack of sleep and being dragged out of his apartment at _four in the fucking morning_ by the android, the bane of his existence.

It was fucking cold and fucking wet and fucking awkward.

He grumbled to himself, his muttering and stewing still audible over the whistling wind and drumming of rain against the leaky factory roof. He held a flashlight, pointing it around the machinery and floor and debris, jumping whenever he saw a shadow that spooked him. RK900 hung close by, watching its partner still walk unsteadily on his foot as he traipsed across the uneven floor. Most of the debris had been pushed aside for easier access during the investigation, though the odd piece still jutted out dangerously against the floor; waiting for unsuspecting detectives to trip over it. 

RK900 swiped away the warnings, percentages of how likely it was for the human to trip. It certainly did not want to carry the man back out to the car when they needed to leave. The android flashed Gavin a look, LED whirring yellow. Gavin definitely wouldn’t quietly allow the android to carry him.

“What do you think we need to look for?” Gavin asked, voice echoing in the dark as it bounced off of the mostly empty space.

“You don’t have a plan? You were the one who said they wanted to come here,” RK900 stated, kissing its teeth as it gracefully avoided an old beer bottle and continued its path behind the hobbling detective.

“I _was_ planning on researching possible things to look out for in the morning before I came here _alone_ , asshole,” was Gavin’s crude response. The android’s LED flashed red at the insult and Gavin caught sight of the crimson hue that danced in the room. He turned his head, watching the red bleed into yellow and then blue. 

“You didn’t want to come with me and bond?” The android asked, voice laced with synthetic sadness. It made Gavin squirm.

“Why are you acting so different lately?” He asked, pointing his flashlight directly at the android’s face. Its pupils didn’t shrink as they would in a human, and that was enough to remind Gavin that it wasn’t like him in the slightest.

“I don’t know what you mean, Detective.”

The android pressed on, using its own flashlight to guide its way as it entered the main room where they’d investigated some weeks before. The black of the victim’s blood remained the same dried-up old pool that it was days before, though the lack of a body this time could allow them to search more thoroughly- now that the elephant was no longer in the room. Corpse canines had been sent in to locate any further evidence after the body was gone, to search for the missing ribs or heart- or _arms_. None of the pieces had been located as of yet. 

Gavin whipped his flashlight around, the bright-powered beam darting around the room and irking the android.

“Hey, Nines, look at this,” Gavin called, pointing his flashlight at the wall as he curled his fingers and attempted to form a rabbit in the shadow on the wall.

“A bunny,” he said with a smile. RK900 rolled its eyes at the detective, not believing that the shadow looked much like a rabbit at all. 

“Can we get back to the investigation?” It asked sharply.

Gavin pouted and lowered his hand, turning on his heel and ducking down as he searched the floor and shifted debris with the occasional poke of his hand or a nudge of his shoe. He eyed the familiar traces of dried blood dribbled here and there and sighed, rising to stand once more. A thought suddenly crossed his mind and he pointed the light at the blood again and then slowly tilted his head upward, the beam of the torch following his line of sight. 

There, in the dark, high up in one of the steel beams of the ceiling, a shrouded form was nestled in a little nook. It was barely noticeable, though directly above the drips of blood that he’d found on the floor. RK900, sensing its partner’s silence, turned to look at the man as he stared up at the ceiling. It stepped closer, eyes not even focusing on the ground and rubble beneath its feet as it approached the human with curious eyes; LED spinning.

“There’s something up there,” Gavin murmured. He then gestured to the blood with his flashlight and the android connected the dots.

“The killer hid the rest of the evidence up there?”

Gavin shrugged a reply and looked back at his partner, a smile playing on his lips. “Only one way to find out, Robocop.”

“You expect _me_ to climb up there and retrieve it?”

“Dang, and I thought CyberLife’s _finest_ would be able to scale a little wall. Guess I was wrong,” Gavin said slowly, teasing the android.

"Gavin, that’s not little. From floor to ceiling, my sensors tell me it’s 17.5 feet.”

The brunette felt an odd thud in his heart at the android’s use of his name. He wasn’t entirely sure if he’d _ever_ heard him use his name. **_Him_ ** _. It’s not alive_ , Gavin reminded himself. He brushed off the thought and threw the android a look over his shoulder, an indifferent expression crossing his face as he stared across at the blue-eyed model.

“You chicken?”

Gavin’s words drifted on in the air until they were nothing but the silence between them, the deafening silence and the rain and wind that roared on outside. RK900 failed to utter a response and, instead, removed its jacket and rolled up the sleeves of its black tailored shirt. The sleeves were intricately rolled up, revealing the expanse of its pale and muscular forearms. Gavin felt his mouth turn dry as he eyed the pale and synthetic skin, finding it quite rude and unfair that he had to work out hard to get even a little muscle definition whereas the android was made with muscles that would never fade away.

The android in question passed its jacket and flashlight on over to Gavin without as much as a word, head turning as it scanned the room with the usual lemon glow of its LED. Gavin felt as if ‘Lemon head’ would have to be the android’s new nickname. RK900 began to pre-construct the route it would take to reach the steel beams, watching the white-lined figure jump and dive until it latched onto the beam and flung itself upwards and reached its destination.

The android took a breath that wasn’t needed and took off, hitting the corner of the room and bouncing onto the wall beside it. It completed a run against the wall before latching onto a small alcove in the wall. It gripped onto the groove, swinging its body as it reached across and up to the next. Once close enough, the android finished the last hurdle and bounced off the wall and twisted mid-air; its hands clasped the beam and it promptly yanked itself up and balanced as it crossed the steel and reached the hidden bundle.

Somewhere along the way, RK900 lost its footing against the blood-slickened beam. It cradled the stinking and bloodied bundle in its arms as it fell, closing its eyes as it braced for impact. Gavin, deciding to stand like a tree, didn’t move and expected to catch the falling android and was instead slammed to the floor with a heavy thud. Dust rose from the ground, sending a slew of rubble careening across the concrete as the android fell upon Gavin. It swiftly pushed itself off of the human, holding the evidence in one arm as it looked down in the dim light at its partners slumped form.

Gavin’s flashlight flickered, its batteries knocked when Gavin was abruptly pinned against the mass of broken machinery and concrete. RK900 methodically dropped the evidence to the floor, swiping away the error warnings about its own damaged vertebrae and a few wires being dislodged in the fall as it knelt down and scanned Gavin. He lay against the debris, head slumped to the side as he laid with his eyes closed.

**Probability of death… 27%**

**Probability of concussion… 82%**

RK900 pressed the back of its hand close to Gavin’s nose, feeling the man’s faint breathing against the sensors of its skin. He was alive, at least, though knocked unconscious. The android grimaced, finding itself wanting to let out a learned curse word as it scanned the human. With a gentle hand, it clapped its palm against the detective’s face in an attempt to rouse him. It feared it would have to call an ambulance, already picturing the outcome. Markus, the RK200 android, who led the android revolution was shot on sight when police arrived at its owner’s home; the police believed that it had murdered its owner’s son. The android was concerned that the same fate would befall it, but that it would be damaged beyond repair.

_Fear._

_Concern._

RK900 found itself experiencing more and more human emotions and it unsettled it greatly. Another few claps of Gavin’s face and he soon came around, blearily looking up at the red ring of the android’s LED as it fought in vain to keep the human alive.

“Fuck, Nines. They sure made you heavier than a ton of bricks, huh?” The detective almost laughed, head spinning as he attempted to sit up. The android pressed a firm hand to its partner’s shoulder, trying to slow his movements as it searched the man’s face with fearful eyes. “Are you crying?” Gavin asked slowly, watching the glimmer of liquid that trailed down the android’s face. RK900 lifted a hand to its cheeks, touching the synthetic skin with gentle fingers and feeling the damp and manmade tears that had escaped its eyes.

 **_Software Instability_ **.

It swallowed, wiping away both the tears and error message as it looked down at the detective with a ghost of a smile curling on its lips.

“I should take you to hospital, I fear you have a concussion.” Gavin waved the suggestion away with a gesture of his hand and sat up, wincing at the pain that shot through his lower back and the base of his skull.

“You think I can afford to waste money on going to the hospital over a bump to the head? You do make me laugh, tin can.” Gavin forced a laugh and promptly pressed a hand to the back of his head, pressing firmly in the hope that it would cease the pain.

It didn’t.

“Regardless, I really think it would be best. I’ll drive you,” RK900 replied, ignoring the man’s complaints as it helped to pull him to his feet. Gavin refrained from batting the android’s hands away, oddly thankful for its help- though it was most likely due to the knock to his head. He swayed on his feet for a moment, the android pressing its hands to the man’s upper arms to steady him as it scanned the brunette’s eyes for any sign of trauma. It wanted to perform a simple reaction test, shine a light in Gavin’s eyes and see if he could follow its finger, though knew that the human wouldn’t be best pleased.

“Just take me home, Nines. I’ll take some Advil and sleep. I’ll be right as rain in the morning.” The android shook its head in reply.

"Certainly not. I’ll call in sick for you, and if you won’t let me take you to the emergency room then at least let me stay at your apartment so I can ensure you won’t die.”

Gavin snorted at the suggestion, though quietly agreed with a tip of his head.

* * *

The android drove Gavin’s car to the precinct to drop off the evidence before heading back to the human’s apartment, sticking exactly to the speed limit and constantly looking over to the human to check his vitals. Gavin grew tired of being checked up on and eventually pressed a clammy palm to the android’s face, pushing its head back in the direction of the road ahead of them.

“Concentrate less on me and more on not killing the both of us.” RK900 narrowed its eyes, though did as it was told, and drew its attention back to the road; its vision occasionally obscured by the odd message of Gavin’s vital signs as it scanned Gavin without even needing to think about it.

The android almost wanted to carry its partner up the stairs, taking in the sight of the human’s wobbling and weaving as he gripped onto the stair rail and grunted every few steps as he applied pressure to his ankle. RK900 made a mental note to search for a physiotherapist closeby.

The pair finally entered the apartment, ignoring the need to turn on the light as the early morning light entered the kitchen window. Gavin made a beeline for the kitchen and rummaged around in a drawer until he found a loose couple of Advil that rolled around in the bottom. With no box to check the expiration date, he downed them dry and instinctively searched for a bottle of whiskey. The android was at his side, a glass of water in its hand and an insistent look in its eyes as it pushed the glass into Gavin’s hand and watched him finish off the whole lot.

Gavin rolled his tongue at the chalky substance that clung to his taste buds, face contorting as he felt the cool liquid slide down within his body. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and met the android’s icy gaze as it searched the human’s eyes with curiosity. 

“You can go now- wherever it is you go to when you finish work,” Gavin said with a wave of his hand, wanting RK900 to leave and let him drift off; his skull pounding painfully from the abrupt knock.

“I live with Connor,” it replied smoothly, causing Gavin to pull a face before he gave the android a wink.

“Didn’t know you had it in you, Nines,” he teased, causing the android to pull a face of disgust as Gavin dumped his empty glass in the sink.

“Connor is my predecessor- he and I are almost the same entity. Engaging in sexual acts would be like-”

“Like jerking yourself off?” Gavin offered, a dopey smile curling on his lips. The android narrowed its eyes, refraining from rolling them as it gave the detective a brief nod and refused to say another word. It knew that bickering over the situation would only further humour the human, and it preferred him to be resting instead of diving through his immature brain and attempting to find new ways to rile it up.

“Do you both... _you know-”_ Gavin trailed off, making a circle with his thumb and forefinger and sliding the forefinger of his left hand back and forth through the hole. The android looked at him with distaste and spread a hand across the brunette’s back as it led him to the sofa and gently pushed him down upon it.

The android joined him on the battered three-seater, hands awkwardly placed on its upper thighs as it sat beside Gavin; leaving a couch cushion between them as they mirrored each other’s sitting positions. Gavin could hear the clock tick on the wall behind them, making him squirm in his seat.

“You didn’t answer my question,” he stated, about to repeat the previous crude gesture he’d made, yet a firm glare from RK900 stopped him in his tracks. The android could see the glimmer of red bouncing off its cheek from its cherry red LED, annoyance clearly setting in at the human’s distasteful actions and queries.

“No, Detective. We do not ‘ _you know,’”_ it clarified, though Gavin continued to wonder if the android had ever experienced human or android relations within the bedroom. He took one look at the android’s ruler-straight back and bit back a laugh, almost spluttering to keep the sound in.

“Something funny, Reed?”

Gavin sucked his lips into his mouth, soon releasing them as he let out a shuddering breath to avoid laughing in the android’s face.

“I’d ask if you’d _ever_ been laid, but the whole stick up your ass attitude of yours tells me what I need to know.”

“I think it would be wise for you to go and sleep now, Detective. I don’t believe your concussion is too serious,” the android said quickly, a tinny and static edge to its voice as it promptly stood up and gestured over to the open bedroom door. Gavin wrinkled his nose and rose to his feet, hands clenched into fists at his sides as he glared up at the android.

“Don’t touch any of my shit while I sleep then,” he growled, knowing that forcing the android from his apartment would be a challenge that he was too tired and achy to deal with. He then stomped to his bedroom, closing the door behind him with a thud and leaving the android to pace around the dim living room. The sun outside was still slowly rising, the sky a gloomy grey-blue from the after-effects of the heavy storms earlier in the morning. 

The android paced the living room, poking a small nodding dog that sat on the dusty mantelpiece. The dog’s head bobbed, wobbling slowly until it came to an eventual stop. Three framed photographs stood nearby, one larger one slightly covered by the other two frames that stood just before it. RK900 lifted the larger grey-framed photograph and looked down at the scene, members of the Detroit Police Department at last year’s Christmas party; before RK900 had joined. 

Gavin stood just off centre, a Santa hat stuffed atop his head as he scowled. Connor stood beside him, an arm around the detective’s shoulder as the android beamed across at the camera along with the other officers. The android eyed Connor’s arm, his slender fingers curled around Gavin’s shoulder as he held him close. RK900 felt an unfamiliar sensation curl in the pit of its abdomen.

_Anger._

_Rage._

_Desire._

It wanted to peel Connor’s fingers off of the human, one by one, push him away and take Connor’s place beside the red-nosed brunette. The android researched its reactions, the situation it was experiencing and watched a website ping up with a single word clearly describing the emotion it was exhibiting.

 **_Jealousy_ **.

Was RK900 jealous? Was it jealous of its android brother, its predecessor? It then scanned several articles on jealousy, searching and reading and skimming over the text until it understood all there was to know about jealousy.

It learned that low self-esteem was a large contributing factor, which made it question whether it felt inferior to Connor. The RK800 unit was rather liked than loathed, exhibited a range of human emotions, the android was invited to places and was even regarded as male where RK900 was not.

_He._

_Him._

_His._

All pronouns that people used when referring to Connor. RK900 had even heard Gavin referring to the android as he, using a name that wasn’t just its model number. RK900 felt jealous over that, as well. It was used to the constant way it was treated like an object, like an ordinary office appliance that had an upgrade; a toaster, as Gavin would refer to it.

The android wondered if it wanted to be regarded as male, like Connor, have its own name, like Connor. RK900 looked to the grubby mirror above the mantelpiece, catching sight of the little flecks of dirt and thumbprints that a quick search determined that they belonged to Gavin. It scanned its reflection, watching the little blue ring on its temple flicker between blue and yellow as it scanned or had a thought.

It could almost taste a name in its mouth, feel the shape of the name if it spoke it out loud. It squared its shoulders, blue-grey eyes meeting the eyes of its reflection as it parted its lips.

“I’m… Nines. Nines…”

_Nines._

_N i n e s._

_N i n e s._

“My name is Nines, I’m the android sent by the Detroit Police Department.”

Nines nodded at its flection - his reflection - and watched as a smile curled on his lips. 

  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> I hope ya'll enjoyed the first chapter! I'm not entirely sure how frequent updates will be as I'm still working on Gas in the Tank, as well as some personal studying AND some artsy things.
> 
> I'll do my best to keep this updated whenever possible, though!


End file.
